Your views: 97 percent of scientists make for settled science

Responding to “Settled Science” opinion piece in the Feb 20 edition of the Gazette: I am glad Charles Krauthammer agrees with scientists that the increase of human caused CO2 in our atmosphere is not a good thing. Ice core CO2 records extend almost 1 million years and CO2 has never gone higher than 280 parts per million. We are now approaching 400 ppm. They also show a very tight correlation between CO2 and temperature; they rise and fall in lock step, like a pair of Olympic skaters. Krauthammer refers to McNider and Christy, who say climate models are wrong. True, but only in a very narrow space, the mid-to upper troposphere. The models underestimate the warming at 70,000 feet. Eventually, the reason for this will also become settled climate science.What wasn't said is that all the dozen or so climate models are very accurate when predicting surface temperature, where we all live. Run them backwards and they match very closely to actual temperature readings. Run them forward for 40 years, all dozen models agree very closely (predicting Janesville will experience, on average, 30 days above 90 in the summer, 40 years from now).In 1896, one scientist, Arrhenius, made the first prediction of rising CO2 and a warming Earth. After a century of scientific questioning, counter-theory, challenges, and testing, that one man is joined by 97 percent of the world's scientists who say that humans are warming our planet. That sounds pretty well settled to me.TOM UMHOEFERStoughton